Thousands of Heathrow Airport workers will walk out over the Easter holidays in a dispute over pay and conditions.
More than 3,000 Unite workers at the West London travel hub were balloted strike action since February 17, with a decision to hit the picket line returned this afternoon.
Security guards, engineers and firefighters who have rejected a 10 per cent pay increase were expected to walk out.
And today Unite confirmed that more than 1,400 of its members employed by Heathrow Airports Ltd (HAL) will take 10 days of strike action from March 31 after voting in favour of walkouts.
The strike action involves security guards employed at Terminal Five, the Union said.
The union claims that the offered pay rise is in effect a pay cut, with the real rate of inflation currently standing at 13.4 per cent.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Heathrow Airport is guilty of gross hypocrisy, it is paying telephone number salaries to its chief executive and senior managers, but the workers who make the company a success are on poverty wages.
“Unite never takes a backward step when fighting for its members’, jobs, pay and conditions and our members at Heathrow Airport will receive the union’s complete support.”
Unite says that a combination of low pay and the cost of living crisis means many workers are unable to make ends meet.
Unite regional co-ordinating officer Wayne King said that any strike action would means that "delays, disruption and cancellations of flights" would be "inevitable".
Heathrow claims that it proposed an above inflation 10% increase for 2023 which has been on the table since January, and that this is on top of a 4% increase and £2k lump sum payment last year.
The airport says that staff are paid at least the London Living Wage, with the starting salary for a security officer at £27,754 shift pay and allowances, if the 10% rise was accepted.
Unite says that some security officers are currently paid £24,000 a year.
Sharon Graham added: “Workers at Heathrow Airport are on poverty wages while the chief executive and senior managers enjoy huge salaries. It is the airport’s workers who are fundamental to its success and they deserve a fair pay increase.
“Our members are simply unable to make ends meet due to the low wages paid by Heathrow. They are being forced to take strike action due to need not greed.
“Unite has a laser-like focus on prioritising the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and HAL needs to be in no doubt that the workers at the airport will receive the union’s unstinting support.”
The airport said it has contingency plans in place to deal with the action and keep the airport open during the strikes.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Passengers can be reassured that we have contingency plans which will keep the airport open and operational despite unnecessary threats of strike action by Unite.
“We have proposed an inflation-beating 10% increase in pay which the public will recognise is fair and a majority of our colleagues have told Unite is not worth striking over. We urge Unite to come back to the table to discuss implementing it.
“Threatening to ruin people’s hard-earned holidays with strike action will not improve the deal. We want to do the right thing by our people and our passengers, each day only delays this pay rise reaching Unite members’ pockets.”
Strike action - the dates
March 31
April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9
